Perfect Pumpkin Pie
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After more than 25 years of cooking professionally—and hosting plenty of Thanksgivings—I’ve made a lot of pumpkin pies. This is the one I make every year, and the one my family looks forward to most.
Pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving classic, and when it’s made well, it’s hard to beat—a silky, warmly spiced pumpkin filling baked into a buttery, flaky crust. But for a dessert that seems so simple, pumpkin pie can be surprisingly finicky. Over the years, I’ve tried at least a dozen recipes and run into just about every issue: fillings that won’t set, unsightly cracks, and soggy crusts. Let’s just say the person who coined the phrase “easy as pie” had clearly never baked a pumpkin pie!
The good news is that all that testing paid off. This pumpkin pie recipe turns out beautifully, with a flaky crust, rich pumpkin filling, and smooth, crack-free top. And the best part? It’s truly easy to make.
If you’re planning your holiday dessert lineup, don’t miss my pecan pie, sweet potato pie, and apple pie—they’re all wonderful alongside this pumpkin pie.
“I’ve been baking pumpkin pie for what seems like an eternity. The custard always cracks. Not this time…it’s absolutely delicious!”
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Pumpkin Pie
- Pie Crust: Use a homemade pie crust or store-bought—whichever you prefer. If using store-bought, opt for the frozen kind in an aluminum pie pan; it’s easier to blind bake and less likely to shrink.
- Pumpkin: For the best results, I recommend Libby’s canned pumpkin purée.
- Egg & Egg Yolks: The whole egg helps set the filling, while the extra yolks add richness and give it a silky texture.
- Granulated Sugar & Light Brown Sugar: Using both gives the filling a more complex sweetness, with a subtle molasses note from the brown sugar.
- All-Purpose Flour: Slightly thickens and stabilizes the filling, which helps prevent cracks.
- Spices (ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves & black pepper): This classic blend gives the pie its warm, spiced flavor, with just a hint of heat from the black pepper.
- Evaporated Milk: Gives the filling its rich, creamy texture without making it too heavy.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Pumpkin Pie
Blind bake the crust: If using a store-bought crust, follow the package directions for pre-baking the crust. For homemade dough, fit it into a deep-dish pie pan and chill it. Line the chilled crust with parchment, fill it with pie weights (or dried beans), and bake until the edges look set.
Remove the weights and bake a bit longer until the bottom looks dry and lightly golden. If the crust puffs up, gently press it back down with a flat spatula. Blind baking gives the crust a head start so it stays nice and crisp once the wet pumpkin filling is added.
Make the filling: Whisk the filling ingredients together until completely smooth, making sure there are no pockets of flour or spices. Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust.
Bake and serve: Bake the pie at 325°F so the custard cooks gently and evenly. It’s done when the filling looks set and dry around the edges but still has a slight jiggle in the center when you nudge the pan—don’t worry, it will continue to set as it cools. If the crust edges start to brown too much before the filling is done, loosely cover them with foil.
Let the pie cool completely before slicing. Serve at room temperature or chilled, with whipped cream if you like.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Pumpkin pie is ideal for making ahead. You can bake it a day before serving, let it cool completely, then cover and refrigerate it overnight. For longer storage, the baked pie can also be frozen; see the recipe card below for full freezing instructions.
Video Tutorial
More Holiday Desserts You’ll Love
Perfect Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 1 homemade pie crust or 9-inch deep-dish frozen pie crust shell thawed
- 1 (15-oz) can pure pumpkin (about 1¾ cups)
- 1 large egg
- 3 large egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup (packed) light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1¼ cups evaporated milk (you'll need one 12-oz can but you won't use all of it)
Instructions
- Blind Bake the Crust: If you’re using a store-bought frozen crust, follow the pre-baking instructions on the package. If you’re using a homemade crust, roll out the dough and gently fit it into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan, making sure it’s snug against the bottom and sides. Chill the crust for at least 30 minutes.Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Place the chilled crust on a baking sheet (it makes it much easier to move in and out of the oven). Line the crust with a piece of parchment paper and fill it about three-quarters full with dried beans or pie weights.Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven, lift out the parchment and weights, and tent the edges with a few strips of foil folded in half lengthwise to keep them from getting too dark. Return the crust to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the bottom looks dry and lightly golden. If it puffs up a bit, just press it down gently with a flat spatula—try not to puncture it. Remove the foil, but keep it nearby in case you need it again later.After blind-baking the crust, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
- Make the Filling: In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, egg, egg yolks, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, and evaporated milk. Whisk until smooth, then pour the filling into the pre-baked crust.
- Bake and cool: Bake the pie for 50 to 60 minutes (at 325°F), until the filling is just set. It should look dry around the edges, but the center should jiggle just slightly if you nudge the pan. Keep a close eye on the pie as it bakes; if ever the crust looks like it's browning too quickly, tent the edges with foil strips. Let the pie cool on a rack (leave it on the baking sheet) to room temperature, a few hours. Slice or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I’m making this pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. I don’t have a food processor so I’m mixing by hand. I’ve just made the pie dough. Your crust ingredients show 4 T ice cold water. So following your instructions, I added 2 T. to begin and mixed and it all came together beautifully and made a perfect round. It wasn’t crumbly at all so I didn’t add the other 2 T. I reviewed the recipe one more time to see if I had measured correctly and I had. If I had added the other 2 T. of water, the dough would have been quite mushy. Just curious what happened to my dough by only using 2 T. ice water. Thanks for the recipe. I can’t wait to finish my pie.
Hi Pam, there can be some variability in dough based on the brand of flour you’re using. If the dough came together nicely after just 2 tablespoons of water, I wouldn’t worry about it and just carry on with the remainder of the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Do you think adjustments are needed for high altitude? Thx!
Hi Deb, Thanks for your note. I don’t have experience baking at high altitudes so, unfortunately, I don’t have any wisdom to share – I’m sorry! You may find these tips helpful though.
Since this will be a scaled down Thanksgiving, I was wondering if we could make just the filling in ramekins? Our favorite part is the filling – so sans crust??? If so, how would we bake it? Thanks & Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Karen, I haven’t tried it but think it will work. Another reader commented that she did and they were ready at about 25 minutes (but it depends on the size of your ramekins so keep a close eye on them). Hope you enjoy!
Wow! This was an adventure today! Since the recipe said 8-10 servings, I put 8 half-pint ball canning jars on a baking sheet and filled them evenly with the filling. Baked @ 325 degrees. Yikes! It took about 80 minutes for them to “set” – imagine it was because the filling was higher and more compact than it would have been in a pie crust. They look really sweet and smell wonderful! Will give them a try tomorrow! Thanks for all your great recipes!
Jen- would this recipe work as a pumpkin custard without the crust? Thanks.
Sure!
Hi! I always buy a real baking pumpkin and puree it. Would the freshly pureed pumpkin be the same amount as the canned pumpkin? Thank you!
Yes — just make sure to remove any excess moisture from the puree before incorporating it into the recipe. Enjoy!
This recipe looks fantastic. I was hoping to make mini pies/tarts. Do you think this recipe would work well for that? Also, is condensed milk okay or should I stick with evaporated milk?
Hi Judy, I think you could turn these into mini pies. I haven’t tried this with condensed milk so for the most predictable results, I’d stick with the evaporated milk. Hope that helps!
I have been making this for 3 years on Thanksgiving and it is ALWAYS a hit! Everyone looks forward to it every year and I love making making it. 🙂
We just recently moved and the new oven runs very hot. We’ve been reducing the heat by 50 degrees than what we usually use to bake or roast anything, but I’m anxious to use this new oven with this recipe given that pie is so finnicky. Do you think it would work to reduce the heat by 50 degrees across the board with this recipe
Hi Razan, I think it’s fine to reduce the temp – even if it takes a bit longer to set, it won’t hurt anything.
I just pulled two of these pies out of my oven in my first attempt at homemade crust. I’m so pleased with the result!! I can’t wait (and my hubby and kids, as well) to bite into them at our feast today.
I appreciate your thorough and detailed explanations and directions. It really boosted my confidence to try.
I will definitely return to your site for future baking needs. Thanks, Jenn!!
🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
This looks delicious. Can I mix the pastry by hand?
Yes, just use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture. Hope you enjoy!
Jenn,
I’m a believer in following a new recipe to the “T” the first time I make it…with that said, I did exactly that for your pumpkin pie. Needless to say, it was definitely the right decision…the pie is DELICIOUS! My wife and I loved it as did some neighbors we shared with! Anyone reading these reviews…make this pie EXACTLY as written…you WILL NOT be disappointed! The spice profile is perfect! The sweetness is just right! And…DO NOT leave out the black pepper!
Hi there, Just wondering the purpose for the pepper?
Hi Evone, The pepper adds a little kick — you won’t really taste it.
This recipe is amazing!! I wanted to make something for my family for thanks giving but wanted it to stand out. DELISH!